Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd is pleased to announce their newest edition to the briefcase chassis "TU" series - PC-TU100 Mini-ITX Chassis. More compact than the PC-TU200, the fully aluminum PC-TU100 is the ideal choice for the ultimate LAN rig with its top-mounted handle and its support for the latest powerful low profile graphics card. The stylish retro "007-esque" design of the chassis is sure to garner much attention.

With dimensions of (WxHxD) 158 x 275 x 242 mm (6.2" x 10.8" x 9.5") and a weight of 1.77 kg (3.9 lb), the PC-TU100 holds the hardware necessary for a portable gaming system while being primed and ready for transport. Two 2.5" hard drives or SSDs can be mounted on the bottom drive rack. An additional 2.5" drive can be placed in the slim optical drive bay, if no optical drive is installed. Graphics cards up to 190 mm can be installed in the chassis - enough room for some of the latest small form factor graphics cards. The PC-TU100 supports SFX power supplies up to 170 mm.

Maximum Airflow
Lian Li has engineered the case for maximum airflow. A tool-lessly mounted 120mm intake fan with a removable air filter at the front of the chassis blows air across the integral components. With no drive cage blocking the fan, the air flows unrestricted through the case. Well-placed vents on the side and the rear of the case ensures the hot air escapes.

Simple Release Side Panels
Similar to the PC-TU200, the side panels of the PC-TU100 are unlatched with just a push of the release lever on the back panel. Putting the panel back on is a simple push to lock the anchoring pins back into their sockets.

The front panel contains the dual LED illuminated power button that glows blue when on and purple when loading. The I/O panel at the bottom of the front panel contains two USB 3.0 ports and HD audio connections.

Price and Availability
The PC-TU100 will be available in silver and black at the end of June for the suggested retail price of US$109.99.

All the metal they use to make that case wouldn't add up to one door on my V2100.

Tinfoil with a handle.

I recently built a relative a new mini-itx set up in a PCQ-08. I was embarrassed that I recommended the case...I could have folded a side panel in 1/2 without effort. I actually bent the case just by installing the I/O plate. Ridiculous.

Could you build a LAN machine using the PC-TU100? Probably. Would I recommend it? Absolutely not. The handle is convenient but if you want a case you can easily carry from party to party, the BitFenix Prodigy is in almost every way a superior choice. Lian Li's case is smaller and lighter, but its performance is so poor that you won't be able to put a particularly robust video card inside it without risking a tremendous amount of noise and cooking your SSD. I can see why the TU100 is $109 and I can see where the money is going, but the Prodigy allows for more powerful and quieter builds at $79. More attractive alternatives to the TU100 abound: the SilverStone Sugo SG08 may be $199 but it comes with a power supply and it's far more efficient. The Sugo SG05 can be had with a power supply for less than $150 as well, and is also a better performer. Even the Fractal Design Node 304 beats the TU100, and it does so at $20 less.

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I sort of like the look, but I rarely actually like Lian Li these days.

#1 - I remember back mid-late 90's when Amplifier builds where are the rage.... Not anything explicitly wrong with this, there's always a few unique instances where such a foundation provides the right packing or a statement piece (tradeshows), but I cant see much of any mainstream market for it. While my assertion below isn't as searing in this "case", I think it's still indicates how stuck in the 90's Lian-Li has become. I suppose their core business is still plenty robust enough to support such whims.